FARM MANAGEMENT 53 



getting 6 pounds of silage and about 2 pounds of corn meal. It 

 generally takes from forty to fifty days to fit sheep for the market 

 on a ration of this kind. The silage is not credited with having 

 any particular value as a fat producer. Its great value lies in the 

 fact that it keeps the animals in good condition, so that they can 

 better assimilate the grain. 



It seems to be quite generally conceded that a fine quality of 

 mutton is produced by feeding pea-vine silage that is well kept. 

 In the fall of 1908 a lot of 442 western wethers that had been fed 

 on pea-vine silage and corn in Wisconsin for fifty days topped the 

 Chicago market for heavy export sheep the day they were sold. 



Pea-vine silage is an excellent winter feed for breeding ewes. 

 Its laxative qualities keep the bowels in good condition and it pro- 

 duces a large flow of milk. Some sheep breeders who have had 

 quite an extensive experience in feeding this silage prefer it to any- 

 thing else they can get for their breeding ewes. One large breeder 

 in western New York winters annually from 600 to 700 breeding 

 ewes on pea-vine silage and alfalfa hay, without any grain. His 

 ration is B 1 /^ pounds of silage and 2 pounds of alfalfa hay for each 

 head daily. His ewes come through the winter in fine condition, 

 and their lambs, which come in May, are invariably strong and 

 healthy. He states that he considers this silage superior to all other 

 feed for breeding ewes. 



Pea-vine silage has been very successfully used as an exclu- 

 sive roughage ration for horses, beef cattle, and sheep. When used 

 in this way, the animals are usually fed all they will eat up clean. 

 Horses and cattle will consume from 40 to 80 pounds a day, while 

 sheep will eat from 6 to 12 pounds daily. 



Pea-Vine Hay. The curing of pea vines for hay is a common 

 method of handling them in many sections. This is a popular 

 practice when the farmer is supposed to take home his quota of 

 vines. Farmers living near the factory generally take the freshly 

 thrashed vines home and spread them out to cure on sod land, 

 while those who live some distance away usually spread the vines 

 out to cure on vacant land near the factory. 



Pea vine hay is greatly relished by horses, cattle and sheep. 

 Many dairymen prefer it to the best clover hay as a roughage for 

 the cattle. In the winter even hogs will eat quantities of it, and it 

 is excellent for brood sows. 



Curing the Vines for Hay. In curing pea vines for hay they 

 should be taken directly from the viner, spread out on the ground, 

 and left during the day. The next morning, after the sun has 

 dried the dew off, they should be thoroughly stirred up with forks 

 or a tedder. If the weather conditions are favorable, they should 

 be stirred up again after noon and then raked into windrows and 

 put up in cocks. The next day they can be stacked or stored' in 

 the barn or shed. When the cured vines are stacked they should 

 be covered with some material which will shed rain, as they readily 

 take up water and are easily spoiled when wet. 



